Phoebus' kicker Dylan Kremp comes through in the clutch

Being a kicker and at least vaguely familiar with how things work, Dylan Kremp was expecting an ice-him timeout from the other sideline. But two? And then three, back-to-back-to-back?

"Actually, the ref said something to me about it," Kremp said. "He said, 'Yeah, they're going to keep calling timeouts on you.' So I didn't even really line up at first. I just stood there and waited for the timeouts."

What else could he do? And when Lake Taylor was finally out of stall tactics, Kremp made a 25-yard field goal as time expired to lift Phoebus to a 20-17 win in the Eastern Region Division 5 semifinals. It's the dream of every kicker, even one who just started learning the trade a year ago.

"You know you've finally done something," Kremp said. "I hadn't done anything really to help the team out there, and finally I did something to get my name out for the team."

Just like Eric Enderson did three times as a sophomore in 2009. Just like Matt Cole did once in 2007 and once in 2006, the latter also coming in the playoffs. And this was only Kremp's third game since replacing Enderson, who is unable to kick because of a groin injury.

Kremp also hit a 30-yarder late in the third quarter Saturday night, three points Phoebus absolutely had to have at that point. That made the score 17-10, and the Phantoms tied it with 5:38 left on Tony Pittman's 25-yard run.

Three weeks earlier, Kremp was a backup kicker, which meant that he'd get an extra-point attempt here and there during the blowouts. But when Enderson was injured against Gloucester in Week Nine, Kremp was moved up to the starter.

The following week against Hampton, Kremp hit a 20-yard field goal in overtime. But at the end of regulation, with the score tied at 7, Phoebus coach Stan Sexton decided to go with Enderson, even with the groin issues, for a 20-yarder that would have won the game. The kick was blocked.

Sexton beat himself up over that decision. And with the game on the line last week he didn't hesitate in going with Kremp.

"He's taken the opportunity and run with it," Sexton said. "He's really picked up the intensity of his work tremendously."

Kremp doesn't have a powerful leg like Enderson or Dillon Christopher at Menchville. But from mid-range, he's proven to be dependable.

"You know who'd I compare him with? Kyle Lawrence, the kid who just graduated from Kecoughtan," Phoebus special teams coach Dick Van Dyke said. "Not a very strong leg, but very accurate."

Like Enderson, and like most kickers these days, Kremp was a soccer kid first. He's a defender for the Phantoms' soccer team, which had one of its better seasons in recent years with seven wins. Enderson also was on the team, and the two are close friends.

It was Enderson who convinced Kremp to give football a try. The junior varsity team needed a kicker last year, so Kremp gave it a shot. He went out one afternoon with Van Dyke, considered by many the best kicking guru in the state, and was hooked.

"He helps kickers all around the area get better," Kremp said. "He's here and he always has time for me, and that's good. I know he knows what he's talking about. I stuck with it and it's paid off."